b"From the Back OF THE BOXBy John SamsillYou can contact me directly at johnsamsillteamroping@gmail.com if you have any questionsor would like to schedule a clinic or a lesson.I n a lot of places around thisto see your competition and come up with a plan great country, the summersof what you need to do to be competitive. X Factor are your busy times if youRoping, a subscription service, shows a lot of ropings are a team roper. Here inand also has some pros giving instruction. I have Arizona not so much. It is hotwatched some of the free things that they have and and the number of ropingsI can tell you that I think it is well worth the price you can go to are limited. There are some really goodof a subscription. They not only talk about roping jackpots around Flagstaff, Chino Valley, and Prescottbut how to keep your horse working well along with in the summer so we do have ropings to go to butinterviews with some of the top ropers in the country. not the number as in the winter. It is also hard toIt is owned by Pace Freed, a team roper who has been practice if you live around the metropolitan area ofaround this business his entire life as his dad was a Phoenix just because of the heat. Here in Wickenburgroping producer.Remember when things are equal, or close, the person we either practice in the mornings or the evenings. Iwith the strongest mental game will come out on top usually have work in the morning so that time slot isAlthough there is a lot of content on the internetevery time. Thats why there are so few champions very limited. Even though it is cooler in the eveningand YouTube about positive thinking and keeping aand especially repeat champions. In my rodeo career, than earlier in the day there are still some days that Igood attitude, there is another subscription companythe guys who have stood out to me as being mentally feel it's still too hot to get the horses out and rope. II would like to tell you about. It is Tenney Trainingtough are Jake Barnes, Clay OBrien, Speed Williams, know that there is a formula that some people use to The Mental Game Specialist. It is run by Lymanand Rich Skelton. I was lucky enough to rodeo at the determine if it's too hot for horses but I just go by feel.Tenney, a team roper, family man, and businesssame time as these men and I always admired their If Im completely honest though there are just someowner. I have known three generations of the Tenneysmental toughness. I have always believed that the one days after working all day I do not have the energy tostarting with Lymans namesake, his grandad Lymanattribute that these guys share is what separated them go rope in the heat. So I would like to share with youTenney. I could go on and on about the Tenney familyfrom everyone else, mental toughness. I discovered what I try to do to keep motivated and still work onbut let me just say that they are a great family thata long time ago that it doesnt matter how good you my roping.have my respect not only as fine people but as greatrope, it is very tough to win, especially consistently horsemen and women as well. If you follow them onif you are not mentally tough and ready to win. This There are lots of videos on roping now. If you cant goFacebook Lyman posts a free video every Monday.lesson came to me when I was about twelve years practice, think about watching a video of a good openI always watch the Monday videos as they are veryold. My dad and I were at a roping that was being roping or even a roping representing the numbersinformative and I personally think are right on theheld during a junior rodeo. This was a roping that that you compete in. By watching the open ropingsmoney. The thing that Lyman speaks about is ropinganyone could enter, not just a junior roping. My dad you get to see some great roping and pick up someand the mental side of it. It is directed toward ropingasked if I wanted to rope that night and of course, I things that the pros are doing that you may be ablebut youll be able to apply his principles to everythingjumped at the chance. The roping was shaping up to to incorporate into your roping. If you watch thethat you want to accomplish in or out of the arena.be a tough one but I wanted to win or at least place number ropings that you compete in then you getGive it a try and see what you think.at that roping about as bad as I had wanted anything up to that point in my life. After the roping started it started to rain. I noticed that a lot of teams were going Tenney Training out fast. Some teams were drawing out because they didnt want to rope in the rain and as the roping went The Mental Game Specialist on the rain got worse. My dad asked me if I wanted to draw out also, I asked him what he wanted to do and he told me it was up to me, I told him I wanted to rope and win that roping. Ill never forget what he told me, he said: thats what well do then. I was more determined than ever after that. We did win that roping that night and I knew it wasnt because I roped better than everyone else there that night but I was convinced that it was because I never let the conditions discourage me and I simply wanted it more than anyone else there that night. Its a lesson that has served me well! I would like to thank my sponsors: Hassayampa Veterinary Services, Usher BrandSaddles and Silver, SaddleRight Saddle Pads, Omega Fields Feeds,Fast Back Ropes.ArizonaRealCountry.com August 2022 13"